Duncan Hunter: “I thank the gentleman and my great friend from California. Mr. Speaker, the parties to this settlement have been working…”

“I thank the gentleman and my great friend from California. Mr. Speaker, the parties to this settlement have been working towards a resolution for almost 50 years; so I will keep my remarks brief so that we don't delay them any further. Before I get into the substance of this bill, I thank Chairman Bishop, Chairman Fleming, and the Natural Resources Committee staff for their assistance in getting this bill to the floor right now. I also thank my friends across the aisle. Today we are addressing an issue that dates back to the late 19th century, when the Federal Government established reservations--in what is now my district in northern San Diego County--for five Mission Indian bands. The creation of these reservations included sufficient water to meet the bands' present and future needs. However, in 1969, litigation arose surrounding whether the Federal Government improperly signed over the bands' water rights claims to two non-Indian municipalities--what are today the city of Escondido and the Vista Irrigation District. In 1988, after decades of litigation, Congress enacted legislation that was introduced by former Congressman Ron Packard, the 1988 San Luis Rey Water Rights Settlement Act. Among its provisions, the legislation directed the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to provide water annually to the tribes and established the San Luis Rey Tribal Development Fund.…”